Announcing BPI National Quality Assurance Providers

Malta, NY, January 5, 2012 - The Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI) has selected three organizations to provide Quality Assurance (QA) services nationally to its Accredited Contractor network. The National Quality Assurance Providers are Conservation Services Group, Energy and Environmental Training Center of Kansas City, and Everblue Energy, Inc.

"BPI is proud to announce our partnership with these three organizations that have each been widely recognized for their outstanding delivery of quality assurance services in home performance," said Larry Zarker, BPI CEO. "With the growth of BPI's Accredited Contractor network across the nation comes our obligation to provide rigorous third-party QA services the market demands. BPI staff can't be everywhere at once. Thus we are confident that these three firms will provide the quality assurance in their respective regions the industry needs to maintain BPI's standards."

As part of BPI Accreditation, these firms will deliver QA services that ensure adherence to BPI Standards and Accreditation requirements. They will conduct QA home visits for a minimum of five percent of annual work volume of jobs completed by Accredited Contractors, as well as a Quality Management Introduction (QMI) office visit and an annual QA office visit. In addition, they will provide detailed recommendations to enhance contractors' QA infrastructure.

This is BPI's current business model and is an internal effort affecting BPI accredited contractors only. QA programs administered through state or local energy efficiency programs are independent of BPI's QA program and do not necessarily have any relationship with subcontractors selected by BPI. We will be investigating other possible models in 2012, such as recognizing programs with imbedded QA programs that are fully in line with BPI QA protocols.

We recognize that the industry is shifting; BPI will be establishing an Accreditation Management Board (AMB), similar to our current Standards Management Board and Certification Management Board, to oversee future development of the BPI Accreditation Program. BPI welcomes industry involvement in this process and will reach out to contractors, trainers, program administrators, regulators and other stakeholders in the home performance industry to participate in the AMB.

Service territories

·        Conservation Services Group: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington.

·        Energy and Environmental Training Center of Kansas City: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

·      Everblue Energy, Inc: Alabama, California, Delaware, District of Columbia (DC), Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia. 

·       BPI will continue to cover New York.

About BPI Accreditation and QA
BPI accreditation gives contractors the edge against low-bid competition. It differentiates contracting companies by offering clients house-as-a-system solutions backed by building science and a third-party Quality Assurance Program. Accreditation helps contractors expand their business model and earn more revenue doing home performance assessments and home energy retrofits.   
 
About the Building Performance Institute
The Building Performance Institute, Inc., (BPI) is the nation's premier building performance credentialing, quality assurance and standards setting organization. BPI develops technical standards using an open, transparent, consensus-based process built on sound building science. BPI is approved by the American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI) as an accredited developer of American National Standards. 
 
BPI offers the following:  
• National standards to ensure top quality, consistent protocols are being followed throughout the home performance and weatherization workforce
• Certification of individuals in building analyst, heating, AC/heat pump, shell/envelope and multi-family designations
• Accreditation of contracting companies committed to delivering quality home performance improvements
• Quality assurance to verify conformance with BPI Standards and provide feedback for continuing improvement
• Partnership with testing organizations that deliver BPI services in their market 

For more information on BPI, visit www.bpi.org.

Building Performance Institute, Inc.
107 Hermes Road, Suite 110
Malta, NY 12020
Phone: (877) 274-1274
Fax: (866) 777-1274
info@bpi.org
www.bpi.org